An annual competition at Georgia Institute of Technology has a new partner in its efforts to foster students' interest in innovation, design and engineering.

October 20th, 2014- Tech's InVenture Challenge is now working with IronCAD, an Atlanta-based provider of design productivity solutions, to expose more students to engineering and entrepreneurship.

The InVenture Challenge began in 2012 to challenge elementary, middle and high school students to identify a real-world problem and test a solution.

So far, 19 schools have registered to participate in this year's competition, which allows students to invent new products in their classes. The top teams from each school will exhibit their work on Tech's campus April 1.

The challenge is an extension of the InVenture Prize, Georgia Tech's annual invention competition for undergraduate students.

IronCAD provided nearly $200,000 worth of software, teacher training and financial support to the classes participating in this year's InVenture Challenge.

"This is a fun and exciting way to inspire and reach out to the next generation of mechanical engineers," IronCAD COO Jan Tung said. "We have seen success in all levels of education throughout the world using IronCAD in classrooms and competitions, and we are glad to be partnering with Georgia Tech to bring these programs to our local communities."

IronCAD's support will enhance the InVenture Challenge experience for students and teachers, said Roxanne Moore, one of the event's organizers.

"Students will now be able to design, test and display their ideas," said Moore, a research engineer with Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). "InVenture allows students to think about real-world problems and engage with them in a hands-on way so that learning happens naturally."

Teachers at the following schools have registered for the 2015 InVenture Challenge: